Death toll in Ho Chi Minh City tops 100

October 31 2002

More than 100 people died in the fire that ravaged an office block in Ho Chi Minh City, official media reported yesterday.

However, Nguyen Thanh Tai, vice-chairman of the city's People's Committee, said the official death toll stood at 59, with more than 100 injured. The reason for the discrepancy was that authorities had not had time to update the official figures, he said.

The Vietnam News Agency said the building housed offices of companies from Australia, the United States, Britain, Belgium, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand. Diplomats said two Britons and one American had been confirmed dead in the fire, and several other foreigners were missing.

The newspaper Lao Dong (Labour) said the fire that tore through the six-storey Saigon International Business Centre on Tuesday killed more than 100 people, and many others were missing.

More than 500 people were thought to be inside the building when the blaze erupted in a disco in the block at lunchtime on Tuesday. The cause was being investigated.");document.write("

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"What is worrying is that firefighters were not equipped with the necessary equipment to put out the fire," the state-owned television station said. "It took them more than three hours to bring the water hose inside the building, and sometimes they did not have enough water."

The American International Assurance Co was training insurance agents on a top floor and many were believed to be among the victims.